Louisa May Alcott is My Passion
Begun in 2010, this blog offers analysis and reflection by Susan Bailey on the life, works and legacy of Louisa May Alcott and her family. Susan is an active member and supporter of the Louisa May Alcott Society, the Fruitlands Museum and Louisa May Alcott's Orchard House.
Dust off your books and library cards--it's time again for the Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge sponsored by In the Bookcase. Already there are some terrific books lined up by readers including An Old-Fashioned Girl, Proverb Stories, March by Geraldine Brooks and even my own Louisa May Alcott: Illuminated by The Message. I am already about …
Continue reading "Time again for the Louisa May Alcott Reading Challenge! What will you be reading?"
This comment from Diana regarding a previous post prompted a discussion on whether or not Louisa May Alcott was gay: “What is your opinion of the evidence that she may have had some suppressed passion, such as crushes, on girls? Remember she said in an interview that she had been in love with so many …
I am pleased to announce that my very first book, River of Grace: Creative Passages Through Difficult Times will be released this Fall, published by Ave Maria Press! You can pre-order it now on Amazon.com. A memoir with life application River of Grace is a faith-based memoir (written from my Roman Catholic tradition) with life …
Continue reading "Announcing my first book, “River of Grace,” to be published this Fall!"
Today (April 22, 2015) marks the fifth anniversary of my mother's passing. But it's not a sad day. Like Louisa, I have a firm belief in the hereafter. Like Christie Devon in Work, I too have seen "signs" that my mother is still very close to me (see previous post). In those first weeks after …
Continue reading "Remembering my mom with the words of Louisa May Alcott"
I am grateful to be able to attend again the annual Summer Conversational Series at Louisa May Alcott’s Orchard House this year. The theme concerns talent versus genius, and the abundance of genius that existed in Concord, Massachusetts in the 19th century. I was not able to take in all five days of the series …
Last week I was invited to be interviewed by the Extreme Writers Now forum on Blogtalk radio. The interview took place on Sunday night and we had a free-for-all discussing Louisa's works and legacy. It was great fun and I was honored to be a part of it. You can listen to the interview here …
Note: This post is longer than usual. I had considered running it in two installments but thought it would lessen the impact of its message by doing that. So sit back with a cup of coffee, relax and read. 🙂 Two ladies, same vision Two New England feminists, both heavily influenced by transcendentalism. Both in …
Greetings to the Poet's Corner Virtual Book Club: Eight Cousins Eight Cousins (or The Aunt-Hill) introduces us to a new kind of heroine from Louisa May Alcott. Rose, blond and blue-eyed, comes from wealth. In past stories, it’s been the wealthy girls who have proven to be the antagonists (Sallie Moffat from Little Women, Fanny …
I'm in trouble. There's an antique store right down the street from my house and already I've found two big thick books, one dated 1866 and the other, 1878. The bug of collecting antique books is beginning to take hold! As I read more and more about Louisa May Alcott, her family and her works, …
Continue reading "What was the 19th century equivalent of the Ladies Home Journal?"
You know how they say that behind every great man is a great woman? How about behind every great woman? In studying the life of Abba Alcott through the reading of Marmee, the Mother of Little Womenby Sandford Meddick Salyer, there indeed was a great woman behind Louisa May Alcott. She was a mother whose …
Continue reading "Abba Alcott’s contribution – behind every great woman stands a mother"
Louisa May Alcott is My Passion 